Ask John: What is the Best Current Comedy Anime?

Question:
What is the best current comedy anime? Things I look for in comedy anime seem to be more profound in older anime, but I figured I haven’t seen a great anime that made me laugh (for the right reasons) in a long time. What is your current recommendation?

Answer:
Unfortunately, I also haven’t seen a new comedy anime series come out of Japan that made me consistently laugh out loud since 2003’s Cromartie High School. Within the first half of 2005 there haven’t been a lot of comedy anime, so I need to refer back to 2004 for a longer list of candidates. Since the beginning of 2004, some of the most noteworthy comedy anime series have included:

Hanaukyo Maid-tai
Keroro Gunsou
Pugyuru
Sensei no Ojikan
Girls Bravo
Nin Nin ga Shinobuden
Gakuen Alice
Genshiken
School Rumble
Sunabozu
Damekko Doubutsu
Mahoraba ~Heartful Days~
Mahou Sensei Negima
Ultimate Girls
Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan
Gokujou Seitokai
Kore ga Watashi no Goshujinsama
Koi Koi 7

Even within this list, selecting unqualified comic genius is a bit difficult. So I’ll provide some commentary on select entries, which may help you narrow your interest.

The Keroro Gunsou television series has been the most successful recent comedy debut among Japanese fans. But the series has a rather subdued, ironic humor rather than a bizarre or witty humor. Since Keroro Gunsou feels a bit subdued, it hasn’t been a big hit among American fans in either anime or manga form.

The short Pugyuru television series was almost indescribably bizarre. Its characters and situations defied logic and even imagination. Unfortunately, the show was also seemingly produced on a shoestring budget, resulting in a professional television broadcast anime that resembled an amateur produced Shockwave Flash internet animation. The very cheap look of the show, I suspect, turned away many viewers, and may be difficult for many viewers to overlook.

I must consider Nin Nin ga Shinobuden, or “2×2=Shinobuden, the Nonsense Kunoichi Fiction,” one of the best anime comedies of recent memory if only because it’s such a memorable combination of bizarre gags and infectious energy. Many of the show’s gags either don’t make sense, or are references to such obscure Japanese culture that even many Japanese viewers don’t get the jokes. The feeling of bewilderment the show creates prevents it from being a supremely accessible and totally appealing comedy, but its attractive and colorful art design and pure manic energy make it fun to watch.

Gakuen Alice was a shoujo comedy in the respect that it’s a show targeted at young Japanese girls, but its manic, hyperactive energy made it a spiritual successor to the classic Kodomo no Omocha. Gakuen Alice may be too cute or too feminine for many American viewers, both male and female. But its diverse and entertaining cast, interesting setting, and wacky, bizarre humor make it very enjoyable for viewers willing to take a chance with it.

The appeal of Genshiken depends largely on how much of an anime fan you happen to be because Genshiken isn’t so much funny as it’s ironic and insightful. Hardcore anime fans will almost certainly see some of themselves reflected in the Genshiken characters. Mundanes will be lost in the show, unable to understand its many references or appreciate the motivations behind the character’s actions and dialogue. For certain viewers, Genshiken is funny because it’s so easy to relate to. It turns a satirical eye on the viewer and identifies the viewer’s own personality, presuming that the viewer is an anime otaku. So the show is compulsively entertaining for viewers that “get” the joke, but will leave everyone else in the dark.

Ultimate Girls is another series that’s highly entertaining only for a very select range of viewers. The show is the most witty and genuinely entertaining program Japan’s M.O.E. has produced in several years. It’s much better than Steel Angel Kurumi 2 Shiki, Rizelmine, Cosprayers, Smash Hit, and Love Love. But the show’s very gratuitous fan service undoubtedly offends many viewers. The show is based on, and utilizes countless anime and Japanese pop culture in-jokes and references, many of which are only recognizable to the most absolute hardcore of fans. The show also contains witty dialogue jokes such as the multi-entendre “Moe power.” The partial nudity within the show is obviously intended to be titillating, but it’s always playfully coy considering that the show contains no full nudity. The nudity itself is a joke, and the reactions of men in the show only affirm the absurdity of sexism. I think that viewers who are able to view Ultimate Girls as the parody it’s obviously designed to be will find the show entertaining.

Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan, the latest series from Haré Nochi Guu director Tsutomu Mizushima, is another love it or leave it type of comedy. Rather than strive for the obscure references the way shows like Genshiken, Ultimate Girls and 2×2=Shinobuden do, or emphasize sheer unexpected absurdity like Pugyuru or Cromartie High School, Dokuro-chan wallows in vulgar sight gags involving sex, extreme violence, and excrement. But while Dokuro-chan may be disgusting, it’s also very funny because it takes its vulgarity to ridiculous extremes. Some viewers may find the show’s violence shocking, or may be dismayed by the show’s combination of adorable magical girl conventions and rude grotesqueness. But a liberal viewer can’t help but admit that Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan is definitely a unique comedy experience.

As I’ve mentioned, I haven’t watched any new anime comedies that really had me laughing since 2003 titles including Cromartie High School and Hare Nochi Guu Final, and before that Azumanga Daioh. But taste in comedy is as different as people, so while I don’t think there have been many brilliant comedies recently, other viewers may disagree. Hopefully these brief summaries will provide some guideline for your own investigation.